Miracle
by 00StupidLamb00
Summary: Buffy is pregnant. But how? IWRY
1. Chapter 1

AUTHORS NOTE- Okay, so, if you haven't seen I Will Remember You, season 1 episode 8 of Angel….you should kick yourself in the shin…, no but if you haven't seen it you won't get this fic. I don't want to ruin the episode for anybody who hasn't seen it so…yeah…

"Buffy!Buffy!" Willow shook her best friend awake."Huh?" Buffy sat up almost head-bumping the red-head bent over her. "Was I talking in my sleep again?" Buffy asked as Willow pursed her lips. "Screaming?" Buffy whispered, horrified. "You should seriously think about joining the drama club. You can project your voice very nicely." Willow answered. "What did I say?" Buffy asked, afraid of the answer. "You said: It's not enough time. And then you kept repeating his name." Willow replied. "Oh." Buffy said looking down, greatful her friend hadn't said his name out loud. Even just thinking about him was like a punch in the gut. _No. _She thought. _You promised to get over step is to at least say his name out loud._

"Angel."


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy closed her eyes, counted to ten, and looked again; it didn't help. The little pink plus wasn't going away. _It just doesn't make sense._ She thought. "There's just no way." And that's when it happened. The memories of that perfect day rushed into her mind, the Mohra demon, the battle, the day she had dreamed of time and time memories played in her mind as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground sobbing. _Stop._ She told herself. _Your the slayer, you've died for god sake, you can face this. _Taking a deep breath, she stood up and faced herself in the mirror. Just then Willow walked in; her eyes bulged as she saw the little plastic stick in Buffy's hand. Buffy silently cursed herself for not locking the door. "Buffy? Do you have something to tell me?" Buffy sighed, _well, I suppose I'm going to have to tell her sometime…_ "Willow, I'm pregnant. And it's Angel's."

"But…how?" Willow asked for the sixth time. "I've told you the story, Will." Buffy replied, knowing the pain it would cause to tell it again. "No, but how do you remember? I thought you said Angel went to the Oracles and had them turn back the day. On that note, how can you be pregnant if the Oracles took back the day?" Buffy opened her mouth to answer, but instead broke into tears. Willow embraced her friend as she sobbed. "Why Willow? I was trying to move on! Why doesn't he want to be with me? I can't help it Will I love him! What am I going to do?" She cried into Willow's shoulder. Willow wanted to say something to make Buffy feel better, but there was nothing she could say. So she said nothing, just sat and held her friend in her time of need.


	3. Chapter 3

"Here it is." Buffy sighed as she climbed the step to office of Angel Investigations. After talking it out with Willow, they had decided Angel was the best, and only way, to get some answers. So here she was. She took a deep breath and tried to wipe away the tears beginning to she started to open the door Cordelia saw her in the doorway."Well well if it isn't Little Miss Sunnyd-" Cordy started to talk, but cut herself short as she saw the look on Buffy's face. "Buffy." She said, her tone entirely different this time around. Buffy didn't need to say anything for Cordy to know who she was here to see. "He's downstairs." She told the slayer as she stepped aside and let Buffy wordlessly pass.

As the creaky elevator made its way downward, Buffy's heart began to race. With each inch the elevator descended, Buffy's courage depleted. Since the moment she stepped off the plane, Buffy could feel him. An invisible chord seemed to link his heart to hers, pulling the two towards each other. He must have the close proximity as well because he looked up just as the elevator came to a stop. "Buffy." He said. Just the way he said her name put shivers up her spine. She couldn't help it, her self-control cracked, she gave in. Buffy ran as fast as she could and jumped into the vampire's arms, her lips desperately finding his. She could feel the emotions Angel felt as they passed over him. First surprise, then objection as he knew that they shouldn't be doing this. But he had been trying for so long. Trying to forget her; trying to forget the way her voice floated through the air, the way her presence filled a room the moment she entered it, the way he swore, even just for a minute, that his heart was beat any time his lips met hers_ . _He finally gave in as their lips moved in perfect synchronization. He knew he should stop this, be the responsible one, find out why she was here, but he couldn't. He was under her spell. It was then he noticed Buffy was crying. He broke away, held her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. "What is it Buffy?" Angel asked, a look of worry on his face. "Nothing." She whispered in response. "That doesn't look like a nothing face." He said, using his thumb to wipe a tear off of her cheek. Buffy, still crying, chuckled. "What is it Buffy?" He repeated, obviously knowing the slayer didn't act this way over just anything. "It's funny." Buffy started, "I had the whole plane ride here and I didn't plan out what I was going to say." "Buffy, you can tell me. Please, what's wrong?" Angel pleaded. A puzzled look washed over Buffy's face. "Angel?" She asked as she swayed slightly, "Why is the room spinning?" And then the world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Buffy awoke to a stern looking Angel leaning over her. She looked around and realized Angel had moved her to the couch. "Slayer's don't faint." Angel stated. "What?" Buffy replied, still in a daze. "Slayer don't faint." He repeated, "They don't get sick. They don't faint. There is something wrong and I need you to tell me." Angel's eyes were unwavering. _He's obviously going to get his answer. You might as well tell him before he finds out some other way._ Buffy thought to herself, tears again threatening to fall. "Angel," She said, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Buffy kept her eyes closed, unable to face Angel's reaction, whatever it may be. "Buffy," Angel said as he stroked her cheek, "Buffy, breathe." It was then she realized she had been holding her breath. Buffy opened her eyes to see Angel wearing completely emotionless mask. _Why must he be so good at hiding his emotions?_ She thought. She waited for him to say something and when he did he simply said, "You remember." "Which is why I was scared to tell you! I know you don't love me and I'm sorry I just thought you should know." Buffy replied. Angel was completely flabbergasted. "Don't-Don't love you? Buffy I-I never stopped loving you. In all of the years I've been alive, I've never, ever, felt the way I do when you're around. And don't even try to tell me that you don't fell it too. Buffy-" Angel took Buffy's hands in his, " There is never a day when thoughts of you don't dominate my mind. I just wanted you to have a normal life." "A normal life? I don't have a normal life! I never will! I've importantly blown up two schools, I've recently gained a teenage sister sent by monks, I've died, not to mention the fact that I'm the Slayer and I live on top of a portal to Hell! And now, to top it all off, I'm pregnant and the father is the only vampire that has a soul! My life isn't normal! I don't want normal, Angel, I want you!" Buffy shouted. Angel tried once more to do the right thing. " We have a bad history together Buffy; our happiness at humanity's expense. We can't Buffy, we can't." Even as he said it, Angel knew it was a lie. He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't care about humanity, he cared about Buffy, he cared about their unborn child. As if she had read his mind, Buffy spoke," I don't care! I care about you!" her hands then flew to her stomach, "I care about us!" Buffy collapsed into Angel's arms. He held her close, savoring her touch, knowing that in the next moment, she could be gone. "We'll make this work." He murmured. Tear drenched eyes looked back up at him, hope shining bright. "We will?" Angel smiled and brushed the hair from her face."I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

"Angel?" Buffy whispered groggily. She had fallen asleep nestled in Angel's arms. Angel, wearing nothing but black pajama pants, rushed over to his bed where Buffy was just waking. "Shh..I'm here." Just then, Cordelia and Wesley walked down the stairs, each holding a weapon. "You better not be evil, because I've got a stake and Wes has a crossbow!" Cordy shouted. Buffy laughed for the first time in weeks, her happiness apparent. Angel caught her laugh and smiled in return. "He's evil-free!" Buffy looked at Angel and smiled, "I promise.". "Okay." Wesley said wearily as he put down his crossbow and motioned for Cordy to do the same. "So Buffy…." Cordy started, "how long are you staying?" Buffy looked at Angel "I don't know." She answered truthfully. "Well…." Wesley said, observing the tention in the room. "We'll just be upstairs if you need us…" Wes started to walk out of the room, but then, noticing Cordy wasn't moving, gabbed her shirt and dragged her along with him. Once Buffy and Angel were alone, Angel moved to sit on the bed. "You really should call Willow or Giles and tell them were you are." Angel said. "Willow knows where I am…." Her hand rested on her stomach, "And why." She added.


	6. Chapter 6

Despite her protests, Angel made Buffy call Giles. After all, he was practically her father, he deserved to know where she was; he deserved why. RING RING! RING RING! With each ring of the telephone, Buffy became more and more hopeful Giles wouldn't be home so that she could leave a message. Her sank when he finally answered and for the first time was actually disappointed to hear his voice. "Hello?" He asked. She took a deep breath, "Giles?" She answered her voice cracking. "Buffy! Where are you? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She could hear the change in his tone as he grew increasingly more worried. She had to admit as nervous as she was, the familiar British voice was somewhat comforting. "I'm in LA with Angel and yeah I guess I'm fine." She answered, deliberately skipping the part where he had asked her what was wrong. "Put Angel on the phone." He replied, obviously thinking Angel was the reason she was upset; which was partly true. Angel took the phone and spoke quickly. "Yes. No she came here on her own free will. No. I think she should tell you herself." As he spoke he enveloped Buffy in a hug, instantly giving her strength. She was still contemplating just hanging up as Angel handed Buffy the phone. She held the phone tightly in her right hand as Angel took the left and squeezed it encouragingly. "Giles, don't get mad. I came here to LA to get some answers because- because- I'm pregnant. And the baby is Angel's ." The phone went silent on the other end as she dropped the phone, crying into the arm rest of the couch both she and Angel were sitting on. Angel picked the phone up from the ground and held it to his ear. "Giles?" He said. And that's when Giles started to shot. Angel got up off of the couch and walked across the room, trying his best not to let Buffy hear. But Giles was screaming so loud that, even from across the room, Buffy could catch bits and pieces of his rant. " ….HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE!....EXTREMELY CHILDISH….COULD HAVE LOST YOUR SOUL….YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T COME DOWN THERE AND STAKE YOU MYSELF!"And Angel just stood there and took it. Buffy laughed at last bit, thinking he had sounded exactly like an upset father; though fathers wouldn't be threatening to stake their daughter's boyfriend. While she lost in her own thoughts, Angel had hung up the phone and come to sit next to her. "What are smiling about?" Angel asked. Once again, Buffy had surprised Angel. When Giles had started, Angel was sure Buffy would start crying. But instead, she had started to laugh. "He sounded like an angry father threatening his teenage daughters boyfriend."Buffy explained. Angel smiled but then became serious, "Buffy, Giles brought up some important questions." Buffy sighed, "Does this mean a trip to the oracles is due?" She asked. "I'll be back before you know it, I promise." Angel said as he kissed her forehead, knowing if his lips touched hers he would never be able to leave. "You know," Buffy said, "You promise a lot of things, maybe you should start a list." Angel smiled and stroked her cheek. " I love you, Buffy." The statement shocked Buffy, Angel rarely said those words, but at the same time, it brought tears to her eyes. "I love you too, Angel." He replied catching his hand and kissed it. Never taking their eyes off of each other, Angel left the apartment to get some answers for what was to come.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well?" Buffy asked anxiously as soon as Angel was in sight. "Let me come in first!" Angel replied, smiling. Angel walked in slowly for the sole purpose of annoying Buffy. And it worked, she was become more and more anxious with each step. The minute he sat down on the armchair in the living room, Buffy ran and jumped on his lap. "Omf!" Angel said as they laughed in unison. "Now." Buffy stated, using a tone of mock-seriousness, "Tell me what the Oracles said." "They pretty much said that as higher powers they could turn back time but, they're not gods, they can't take away a human life." Angel explained. "A life." Buffy repeated. "We created a life." Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Buffy's head. "You know what? We're having a baby, let's celebrate." Angel, again becoming the adult, reminded her of the situation, "We still have a lot to discuss, Buffy." He said. "I know, but I'm tired of crying! I wanna be happy now! See?" Buffy said pointed to her smile, "Happy Buffy." Angel couldn't help but smiling as Buffy bounced on his lap, planning an elaborate dinner. "Let's have dinner somewhere in the middle of LA and Sunnydale so everyone can come! We can invite Wes, Cordy, Will, Tara, Xander, Anya, Giles, Gunn-"She spoke with a child-like excitement. "Okay, Okay, We'll go Madison's Grill." Angel replied, overjoyed to see Buffy happy. "Good. Thank you, Angel." Buffy said as she gave him a quick kiss. "Oh- I'm sorry." Buffy said when she realized what she had done. She still wasn't sure where her relationship with Angel stood. A look of hurt passed over Angel's face. "Don't be sorry. I promised you that would make this work. All that matters is that we love each other. We'll make it work." He said. " So, does that mean we're together?" Buffy asked naively. "Yes, Buffy." Angel replied as he cradled Buffy's chin in his hand and brought his lips down to meet hers. As the kiss became more passionate, Buffy repositioned herself so that she straddling Angel. Abruptly Angel broke away. "Wh-" Buffy started to protest, but as she followed his gaze, she realized why he had stopped. Cordy was standing awkwardly at the entrance to the apartment. "Sorry!" Cordy said, "You two haven't been upstairs in two days. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive-er-one of you anyway." Buffy was shocked. Cordelia Chase, queen of all things social, was feeling awkward. Though she wanted to sit and let Cordelia awkwardly ramble on longer, Buffy stepped in. "So, Cordy, me and Angel are inviting you, Gunn, and Wes to dinner tonight at Madison's Grill tonight along with the Scooby gang. You wanna help me buy something to wear tonight?" "Don't have to ask me twice!" Cordy answered cheerfully. Buffy looked at Angel, pouting her lip and batting her eyelashes. Angel kissed her pout away and smiled as he went to retrieved the credit card Cordy had forced him to get earlier. "Be nice to it." Angel warned Buffy as he smiled and handed Buffy the little plastic square. Buffy took it gratefully and hugged Angel goodbye. "I love you." Angel whispered into her ear. "I love you more." Buffy whispered back. "Come on! We only have 'till sundown!" Cordy wined. Angel and Buffy broke apart. "Dinner at 7." Angel reminded Buffy. "Okay. Bye!" Buffy said with a smile, though he knew better. He knew that, deep inside, this brief time apart was going to be just as hard for her as it would be would for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Four hours later, Buffy and Cordy were ready for dinner. Cordelia had surprised Buffy; she had matured since high school. "Angel's jaw is gonna drop when he sees you." Cordy said as Buffy surveyed her new outfit in the mirror of the bathroom of Angel Investigations. "Thanks Cordy. Your shopping skills are amazing." Buffy replied. "Yeah, I am great, aren't I?" Cordy said, showing Buffy her high school personality wasn't **completely **gone for good. _Angel's jaw __**will**__ drop._ Buffy thought as she looked her outfit over once more. Her blond hair was twisted up in a clip as her burgundy top scooped across her chest. Paired with her white pants and burgundy strappy shoes, her silver mesh earrings and big, circular necklace perfectly complemented her outfit creating a flawless look any boy would die for; though the boy she wanted to impress was already dead. Cordy stepped in front of the mirror as Buffy stepped aside. _Cordy looks amazing too._ Buffy thought. Cordy's long, brown hair tumbled down her back and onto her turquoise, puffy shirt that was off the shoulder and her silver belt. Her black pants matched her black necklace and earrings and her turquoise shoes just completed the look. "Ready?" Cordy asked. "Ready." Buffy replied, taking a deep breath. "Angel?" Buffy asked as she entered the empty office. Just then Wesley walked through the front door in jeans and a tan button-up shirt. "Angel's probably downstairs." Wes said, then, glaring at Cordy, added, "We'll just wait up here."

"Angel?" Buffy repeated, this time though, as she entered the apartment. No answer. "Angel?" She asked again as she spotted something on the living room table. When she got close enough to see what it was, she gasped. In what looked like one of Angel's sketchbooks, he had flawlessly sketched a portrait of her. Her fingers lightly traced the seemingly effortless pencil strokes of the picture as she felt a pair of arms slide around her waist. She relaxed and melted into his embrace. "Buffy, you look stunning." Angel murmured. "I missed you." Buffy replied as she repositioned herself so she was facing him. She then stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. "That's it." Angel said between kisses. "What?" Buffy asked, slightly worried. "You're never going anywhere without me ever again." Angel replied. Buffy could feel his lips curve upward, smiling, as she smiled in return. Just then the couple heard Cordy, who remembered to stay upstairs this time, shout, "BUFFY! ANGEL! LET'S GO! WE'LL BE LATE FOR DINNER!" Buffy and Angel shared one more kiss and then headed upstairs to meet their friends.

**Authors note: Pictures of Buffy and Cordy's outfits are on my profile page!! **

**REVIEW!!!!!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Halfway through dinner, Buffy started to sweat; she was getting nervous. Who knew how her friends would react to the news they were all brought together to hear. She was most worried about Xander's reaction. Xander had never liked Angel and she could already tell that he wasn't happy with the fact that Buffy and Angel were sitting next to each other, much less holding hands. Willow must have noticed it too because everytime Xander would make a snide remark about Angel, she would elbow him in the ribs. Angel squeezed Buffy's hand, letting her know that it was time. Angel took his fork and tapped it against his glass, getting everyone's attention. " So, you're probably wondering why we're all here tonight." Angel started Buffy looked over to see Willow smiling, encouraging her that telling everybody about her pregnancy was the right thing to do. "Not really; free food? I'm always in." Xander said as Willow elbowed him again. "Ow! Stop that Will!" he shouted. "Well," Angel continued, "You're all here because you are our family and there's something very important that we have to tell you. Buffy?" Buffy took a deep breath. "I'm having a baby. Well, Angel and I. Together. Together we're having a baby." Buffy nervously rambled on. " HA! That's funny Buff! We all know dead boy here can't have kids!" Xander scoffed. "Xander, she's telling the truth." Willow told him quietly. An awkward silence then fell over the table. "We-Well I'm happy for you B-Buffy." Tara said, always trying to stay optimistic. "Thank you Tara." Buffy replied sincerely. "OOOOO BUFFY! We have SOOO much shopping to do!" Cordy said happily, knowing she now had an actually excuse to shot excessively. Wesley then brought up the question that Buffy was desperately trying to avoid. "But how?" He asked, always looking at everything from a watcher's point of view, though he wasn't one anymore. And that's how the rest of dinner was spent, explaining how the miracle baby came to be.

"Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" The ultrasound technician asked. It had been three months since Buffy had come to LA. She had been staying with Angel, visiting Sunnydale each weekend and letting Faith pick up the slaying slack. "Angel?" Buffy asked regarding finding out the sex of the baby. "Whatever you prefer, my love." Angel replied. "Sure." Buffy said to the technician. "Congratulations," the tech replied smiling, "You're having a baby girl."


	10. Chapter 10

****Authors Note: I forgot to mention Dawn is staying with Giles. Anyways, hope you enjoy! Review!!!**

"Will?" Buffy said, knocking on the familiar dorm room door. It was three days after Buffy and Angel had found out that they were going to have a baby girl and it was time for Buffy's weekend visit to Sunnydale. The door slowly opened and a tired looking Willow appeared. "Buffy?" She asked groggily. "Hey Will!" Buffy replied cheerily. There had been a lot of that lately; cheer. Buffy was the happiest she had been in a while, and her best friend noticed. Willows face brightened as she opened the door fully. "Hey Buff." Willow said as she hugged the slayer tightly. "Oh my god, is that a baby bump I see?" Willow said feeling Buffy's stomach. "Yeah." Buffy admitted happily. "I started to notice a few days ago. I've even started to feel her kick." If Willow wasn't hanging on Buffy's every word, she probably would have missed it. "YOU'RE HAVING A GIRL?!?!" Willow shouted, grabbing Buffy's hand and dragging her inside. "Yeah I just found out three days ago." Buffy gushed. "What did Angel say when he found out?" Willow asked, eager for details. "Nothing. He was speechless. We just started crying together. Right there in the office. Looking back, we probably looked psycho." Buffy answered as they shared a laugh."So, do you have any baby name ideas?" Willow asked. "What do you think I was doing on the way here." Buffy said. "Of course, I haven't run them by Angel, so nothings definite.." Buffy continued. "Ohh! Ohh! Let me hear them!" Willow said excitedly. "Well, for her middle name, I'd really like it to be Joyce; after my mom." Buffy said solemnly. But almost immediately, her voice picked back up as she listed the names.

"Teagan, Shaelyn, Kaitlin, Skyler, Shayleigh, Kiley, Aimee, Kayleigh, and Alyson." Buffy finished, searching Angel's face for any hint of a reaction. Angel had to admit, he was amused. "So this is what you did all day. You came up with baby names with Willow." Angel said. "Well, I had **some**; Willow and I just perfected them. Plus I visited Giles and Dawn. Dawn's really excited to be an aunt. So, what do you think of the names?" Buffy rambled on excitedly. "Later." Angel said as he scooped Buffy up into his arms and playfully kissed her as he carried her over to the bed. Once Buffy was safely nestled in his arms, Angel's voice turned serious. "Buffy, while you were gone today, Cordy had a vision. The oracles wanted to speak with me. So I went to talk to them and they told me something about our daughter." Before Buffy could say anything, Angel continued. "They told me that she's going to be a champion, just like us. They said she will play an important role in the future. And in order to ensure a worthy upbringing, they gave us something incredible." Angel then sat up and held Buffy's hands in his. "Buffy, they gave me my soul." Buffy wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn't. She was completely paralyzed. "The gypsy's curse no longer applies. Buffy, my soul is permanent now." Angel finished, smiling, as tears ran down his face. "You mean-" Buffy started to speak but was cut off as Angel's lips crushed against hers. _This is perfect._ Buffy thought, knowing that tonight would be that of perfect bliss.

*****P.S. Review and vote for what name you want! Or a completely new name!! Tell me what you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Buffy!" Buffy's eyes fluttered open to the sound of her name being called. "Buffy!" The voice called again. Buffy laughed when she realized she realized it was Cordy calling from upstairs. It had been 10 weeks since Angel's soul had become permanent, and the staff of Angel Investigations had learned that it was best to call down to the apartment before entering. "Shopping! Right!" Buffy called back as she rose out of bed and rushed to get dressed. Though Buffy's version of rushed had been getting slower and slower these days. Today was the day before her baby shower, so Cordelia had insisted they go shopping. Angel had made some excuse about how he had some filing to do, even though that was Cordy's job. She knew the only reason he had said that was so she wouldn't feel bad for leaving for the day. Ever since she had come to LA, she and Angel had hardly spent time apart. So with a quick kiss goodbye for Angel, Buffy was off for her first day of shopping.

"Ugg. Nothing looks good. I look like a cow." Buffy whined. "No you don't." Cordy replied, "You're seven months pregnant, you're not supposed to look ballerina thin." Buffy surveyed the outfit Cordy had chosen for her. Her shirt was a sleeveless purple silk top, tight right under the bust with ruffles at the top. For her bottoms, maternity jeans were the only thing Buffy would agree to wear. Since her feet were swollen, she went with a simple pair of black flats. She sighed; resigning to the fact that this was the best anyone could look when a giant watermelon was strapped to their stomach. "Thanks Cordy, I really appreciate it." Buffy said, looking at Cordy who was fixing her hair in the mirror. " For what, the outfit? Don't sweat it, not even maternity clothes can stop me from finding the perfect outfit. Plus, it's Angel's credit card." She replied. Buffy smiled. "Not just for the outfit; for everything. I kinda just barged in and messed up everything. And yet here you are, treating me like one of the LA gang." Buffy said. "Well, you make Angel happy. Buffy, when you left his office that day, Angel shut down. He went downstairs into his apartment and stayed there. When you're gone, it's like he is too. But these past couple of months, Angel has opened up. He laughs, he smiles, he's actually functioning. I know you've seen the change too, but not like we have. You and your daughter are everything to him." By the time Cordy had finished speaking, Buffy was in tears. "Stop! You're gonna make me cry! And I'm not wearing waterproof mascara!" Cordy said once she had realized Buffy was crying. "Come on, let's go back to the office, we can cry as much as we want there and nobody will see you." Buffy replied laughing. "Okay." Cordy said as Buffy changed back into her original clothes, she wanted to save this outfit for the shower tomorrow.

*****AN: Buffy's outfit is on my profile!**


	12. Chapter 12

"Why is Angel here? No offence, but aren't baby showers are girls only." Dawn asked. "Girls and the baby's father." Buffy replied as she leaned into Angel. Anya, Willow, Tara, Dawn, Buffy, and Angel were all sitting in the living room of the Summer's home, which, these days, was home to Willow and Tara. The room was exquisitely decorated with pink streamers and balloons in which the female members of the Scooby gang had spent the previous day putting up. "How about you open some gifts?" Willow suggested. "Sure Will." Buffy replied picking up a pink package and reading the card. The first bit written on the card was crossed out, but Buffy read it anyways. _Congratulations on temporarily housing a child in your abdomen. We look forward to its day of emancipation. _Buffy laughed at Anya's attempt at sincerity. Xander was obviously the one who had crossed it out and under it, simply wrote _Congrats Buff. Love, Xander & Anya. _"That one's from me." Anya stated to the group. Buffy put the card aside and opened the gift. Inside were two onsies. Buffy held up the first and read what was written on it. _If you think I'm cool, you should see my Uncle Xander. _Buffy chuckled. "Xander got that one, now look at mine." Anya insisted. "Okay" Buffy replied as she held up the second onsie and read the writing on it aloud, "_When I grow up, I will help my Aunt Anya make a lot of money._" "Xander didn't want me to get this for you, but I insisted." Anya commented. Buffy handed the clothing to Angel to put aside. "Thank you, Anya." Buffy said. "OO! Open mine!" Dawn shouted, handing Buffy a crudely wrapped box. "I tried to wrap it, but we ran out of wrapping paper and I had to use notebook paper." Dawn said. "Thanks Dawnie." Buffy replied, opening the gift. "It's Blah." Dawn said as Buffy pulled out a warn blanket from the box. Upon seeing the confused faces in the room, Dawn explained. "When Buffy was a baby, my mom brought her a blanket and Buffy named it Blah, you know, like B-L-A, first three letters of blanket? Anyway, when I was born, Buffy gave Blah to me. So now, I figured I could pass it along." A tear slid down Buffy's cheek. "Thank you." "Cordy? How bout you go next?" Dawn suggested. "My gift to you is that I promise to take you on a major shopping spree." Cordy announced. "With Angel's credit card of course." She added as Angel rolled his eyes. "Okay Buffy, are you ready for my gift?" Willow asked excitedly. Tara playfully cleared her throat. "Oh, and Tara's too!" Willow added. "Okay." Buffy replied. ", you know what to do." Willow said as Angel got up and instructed Buffy to do the same. Once they were both standing, Angel covered Buffy's eyes with his hands. "Okay, now follow me." Willow instructed, taking Buffy's hand. Buffy felt herself being dragged up the stairs. She then heard a door open. Once Willow had lead her inside, Angel uncovered her eyes. Buffy gasped as she looked around. The Summer's guest bedroom had been converted into a nursery equipped with pink walls and carpeting. On the wall adjacent to the door was a big window complete with a window seat. Confusion crossed Buffy's face as she realized a big window would have major sunlight coming through during the day. "The windows are tinted so direct sunlight can't get in." Tara explained. Buffy nodded in understanding as she looked around the rest of the room. To the right of the door sat a rocking chair and end table and against the right wall was a beautiful toy box . But what really caught her eye was the left side of the room. Against the wall was a crib and a dresser that doubled as a changing table. Above the crib, in gorgeous cursive handwriting, was the name _Shaelynn. _"How did you know what we're gonna name the baby Shaelynn?" Buffy asked. "I had an inside source." Willow replied, winking at Angel."Willow, Tara, this is absolutely gorgeous. I love it!" Buffy exclaimed as she did her best to embrace them both in a hug. "Hey! Me and Dawn helped too!" Anya said. "Thank you, too." Buffy said, releasing the two witches. Just then Buffy noticed a piece of paper on the rocking chair. She walked over and picked it up to find her name written in Giles' familiar handwriting.

Buffy,

When you first told me you were pregnant, with Angel's baby no less, well, to say I was unhappy would be an understatement. But over these past seven months you have grown and matured beyond my highest expectations. Because of the past, I know I should hate Angel, but Buffy, the difference he made in your life is just too great to ignore. Watching you grow over the years has made me happier than you could imagine. Buffy, I want you to know that I am proud of you and everything you have come to be. You have become a daughter to me, and the joy I feel to be able to be present for your daughter's birth is indescribable. I know I don't say this nearly enough but I love you, Buffy. I love you and I am so proud of you. I wish you all the luck in your journey into parenthood and I just know you will be a wonderful mother.

Always,

Giles

As she finished reading the letter she realized she was crying. "I see you found my letter." Buffy looked up to see Giles standing in the doorway. She also noted that everybody had cleared out of the room. It was only her and Giles. "Giles, I don't know what to say." Buffy said. Giles came and knelt next to the slayer. "You don't have to say anything. I meant everything I said in that letter." The watcher replied. "Well it's my turn for the moving speech." Buffy stated. "Giles, without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. For one thing, I'd be dead; but that's not what I meant. You've kept me grounded, kept me in check. And believe me; I know I wasn't the easiest teenager. I want you to know you're like a father to me. You're definitely more of a father than my biological father could ever hope to be. When my mom died, I didn't know how I would function. But Giles, you kept me from falling, from sinking. There is no way I would be where I am now, as a slayer and as a person, without you. I love you. And I hope you know that as far as she is concerned, you are Shaelynn's grandfather." Buffy concluded her speech to find that Giles was crying. Buffy, crying as well, leaned over and the two embraced.


End file.
